On July 9, 2015, the Army announced its Force Structure and Stationing Decisions. This decision will affect up to 40,000 uniformed service members, nearly 17,000 Army civilian employees, their families, and the states and communities that support them. If an Army installation is selected for force realignment or reduction, impacted areas may qualify for assistance from OEA. For more information, please contact David Kennedy, OEA Project Manager, at 703-697-2136 or david.r.kennedy.civ@mail.mil

Military Mission

Blossom Point Research Facility is a military range under the leadership of the U.S. Army Garrison, Adelphi Laboratory Center in Adelphi, Maryland. The primary mission at Blossom Point is to operate and maintain an ordinance and research facility, including a Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). The NRL leases 41 acres from the U.S. Army to operate a satellite tracking station for NRL and Navy satellites. Blossom Point is comprised of approximately 1,600 acres in Charles County in southern Maryland, approximately 20 miles south of Washington, D.C.

Joint Land Use Study Planning Process

Charles County sponsored the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) in response to Army concerns that any commercial or residential development near the installation’s northern boundary could adversely affect the Blossom Point mission. The Army Research Laboratory’s acoustic and electron optics research and NRL activities require operation of electromagnetic devices that are sensitive to radio frequency interference. The JLUS, completed in April 2012, was conducted in a collaborative manner involving all stakeholders, including the local elected officials, planning commissioners, local military base command staff, community business leaders, homebuilders, real estate interests, landowners, and neighboring residents. However, installation personnel requested a modified JLUS process to ensure security of the base mission. To accommodate this request, Charles County formed a JLUS Policy Committee that only included representatives from the county planning and economic development offices, base personnel, and State of Maryland to provide technical guidance and direction to the JLUS consultant. As the study progressed, the JLUS Policy Committee reviewed draft reports, policy recommendations, and the proposed implementation matrix prior to public presentation.

Implementation Strategy

The JLUS includes four primary policy recommendations:

changes to the Charles County Comprehensive Plan;

an updated Special Exception review process to include Blossom Point staff when appropriate;

In the News

July 28, 2015 – Route Fifty, By Allison PrangRosetta Lue, the city’s chief customer service officer, says “there is a change that’s happening across government from local up to the federal level where we’re all trying to improve that experience.”

July 24, 2015 – NADO (National Association of Development Organizations)
This week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power approved a comprehensive energy reform package that modernizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and includes a number of...

July 23, 2015 – Daily Journal (by way of AP), Susan Montoya
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — State and federal officials are becoming increasingly confident they’ll be able to clean up a massive plume of jet fuel at the edge of Albuquerque before it reaches drinking water wells.

July 16, 2015 – RouteFifty, By Dave NyczepirCities in coastal and Central Valley areas are witnessing significant private-sector job growth as well, according to a new Progressive Policy Institute brief.

July 22, 2015 – Clarksville Online (clarksvilleonline.com)Montgomery County, TN – Montgomery County Government is pleased to have worked with the Pennyrile Area Development District (PADD), Austin Peay State University, Workforce Essentials and the City of Hopkinsville, among others, to receive a...